More about Phranakorn-Nornlen Hotel
Very good and friendly.
by TripAdvisor Member octopuspipe
I would like to share my experience staying at the Phranakorn-Nornlen Hotel with my wife last month, September. I got a very warm hospitality from all staff during my stay which so meaningful to me. The facilities are the same as other mini-hotel but the staff gave me wonderful service. The receptionists were very nice, satisfied my need very well.
I tried the Thai food on the 3rd floor and found that the staff treat me very friendly which made me feel at home, good recommendation liked they know what I really wanted. I also had a real touch of the Thai massage at the spa. This hotel is the hotel that don't make disappointed and I would like sincerely to suggest travelers who go the Thailand, Bangkok to stay.
Relaxation
by TripAdvisor Member chickydoo3
I travel for a living and spend a lot of nights in hotels. May sound like fun but after a few years it is not. Stayed at the Phranakorn Nornlen and had one of the best hotel experiences ever. I had the best and deepest sleeps. The food each morning was a surpise and delicious. The staff support was excellent and they made a huge effort to communicate in English. The hotel itself is situated in the heart of downtown Bangkok and there are no other hotels around so you are pretty much immersed in local Thai culture. We were the only tourists in the area. Although the hotel is down a small lane it added to the atmosphere and we felt safe at all times. If you like big fancy hotels that separate you from the locals this is not the hotel for you. However if you want a relaxing visit that will keep you in contact with the friendly locals this property is an excellent choice. A very positive visit.
The Best Place to Stay in Bangkok
by TripAdvisor Member MsPamGrier
We stayed at Phranakorn Nornlen from Oct 16 thru Oct 30, 2007 and we loved the hotel. We would never stay anywhere else in Bangkok.
It was clean and comfortable. The staff was very friendly and efficient, the breakfasts were terrific, the price was right and the atmosphere was so relaxing and artistic.
Each room is decorated differently with hand painted murals and lovely traditional Thai bedding and household objects. There's a lot of loving attention to detail in the overall hotel decor.
The food is all vegetarian and there is no smoking within the walls of the hotel. (A real blessing in smoggy Bangkok).
The rooms are built around an open air, lush tropical garden and the hotel's mascots are parrots who hang out in the trees next to the dining area. You can pet and feed the parrots and let them ride around on your shoulder.
The restaurant is more of a snack bar (although a full "breakfast of the day" is served from 7:30 to 10:30 AM and is included in the price of your room ), but if you want a sandwich, some fresh sliced fruit, juice, (great) coffee, etc. the staff is happy to provide it. Also, every night when we came home from our adventures, there would be a pot of hot tea waiting for us in our room, which we really started to look forward to.
Some of the staff sew traditional Thai skirts, handbags, etc. and these are on sale (for very reasonable prices) in the open air "living room" of the hotel. In the same area, there are also three computers with free internet access.
The staff can give you great tips regarding tourist attractions and also interesting "un-touristy" things to see. They are always happy to call a cab for you and give the driver written directions in Thai. They will also arrange Thai massages for you on the premisis, a trip to the day spa or even help you find a lux yet affordable seaside hotel/spa for a getaway.
My husband and I became such good friends with the hotel staff, I actually cried when we left.
Phranakorn Nornlen is a wonderful retreat from the craziness of Bangkok and we highly recommend the hotel to anyone travelilng to Thailand.
bangkoks hidden gem.
by TripAdvisor Member sylentsoul
Amongst the many beautiful temples in Bangkok the Phrankorn-Nornlen Hotel is a hidden gem. It's located off a small busy street, but as soon as you walk through the gate the world changes and becomes a haven of welcoming smiles and greenery.
The hotel is full of character, from its vintage decor, to the paintings of the rooms. They also made GREAT vegetarian breakfasts, even when we ventured off to other parts of Thailand we would often wonder what they would be serving at the Phranakorn! But the best part of the hotel for me was the staff, they were very helpful and friendly and made our group feel very comfortable and welcomed, truly exemplifying the city of a thousand smiles.
For those curious about the physical aspects of the hotel:
We had a party of 4 and booked 2 rooms with 2 double beds, big enough to sprawl out and with just enough space to toss our lugage aside and walk around without stubbing our toes. The AC was very powerful and could be set to very cold temperatures. There was no tv in the room we stayed in but they did have a funky cd player with some funky cd's. Toilets are clean and the rain showerhead is very relaxing, and you won't have to worry about cold showers.
The lounge area is spacious and has some very interesting reading materials. When the fans are on it creates a nice breeze and makes it comfortable even on the hot humid days. There was also free internet use in the lounge area and our package also included a 1 hour thai massage (which was amazing).
Location:
If you're looking to tour temples within bangkok you're pretty much in the right area to be. Wat Pho, and reclinging buddha is a 10 minute boat ride away, and there are plenty of other temples around the area you can cab to as well. Cabs are really easy to hail so getting to the downtown area was no problem except for the traffic which is unavoidable in Bangkok in general.
If it's your first time visiting Bangkok i'd definately recommend staying at the Phranakorn Nornlen, it's definately a positive and unique experience that you won't get at any of the other hotels in all of Bangkok.
Great experience
by TripAdvisor Member adgildio
Great experience; wonderful decor, great vibe, typically thai warm and friendly staff. The location is good in that it's adventourous but may not be ideal for all people. The only small point for improvement would be breakfast; wonderfully typically thai but a bit adventorous on some days on an empy stomach! Otherwise would recommend it to everyone!
Great character, lovely location
by TripAdvisor Member FionaSteve
What a lovely place to stay. Located in old Bangkok in a charming neighbourhood full of personality. Right near the river at a ferry terminal a few stops away from the grand palace. Nice garden, an oasis of calm, lovely artistic rooms, attemtive staff, relaxed atmosphere, wow it was just wonderful. Very thai (including the breakfast which was a nice touch). There is free and unlimited internet access on several computers in a lovely outdoor but covered area which was a nice touch. also there is a Cd player in the room with some nice relaxing music. in fact when we arrived there was some nice music playing and candles all lit in the room. so ROMANTIC!
Let me just list a few potential problems that didn't bother me but might affect some people. The beds are rock hard (great for back problems, not so good for those that like their soft beds), the rooms are fairly small and obviously due to the size and nature of the hotel, there arent loads of facilities. Also, be sure to keep the hotel phone number on you, because taxi drivers have great difficulty finding the hotel and many cant speak or read english. However, if you like authenticity, character, beauty and relaxation in a hotel, this is it!
Brilliant authentic experience
by TripAdvisor Member sjturner
This hotel provided a friendly, authentic Thai experience. I loved the room and the hotel grounds. We stayed there for 3 nights and booked directly via there own website which was very easy.
The breakfast was really tasty and we looked forward to the morning just to see what was going to be on the menu.
The staff where very helpful whenever we asked them a question and gave us a good 10 minute introduction to Bangkok after we had checked in. There is a painted road map of Bangkok on the reception wall for the staff to use to explain to the guests how to get around.
I also loved the free internet access (wi-fi and pc), the travel guides in the room, the chill out CD's and cd player, the parrots, complimentry bottled water and the tea that is left in your room each night.
The hotel was easy to get to by tut tut and the nearby ferry stop. We also managed to walk to the Kao Seng Road in about 20 mins.
On checkout they called us a taxi which arrived immediately and gave us some water for the onward journey.
If I had to suggest how the hotel could improve I cound only say that the Air Conditing unit was slightly noisey. Also it's worth knowing that there is a credit card surcharge of 3% (i think) so we paid in cash.
Stay here if you don't want to stay in just another boring Western chain hotel. We actually missed this hotel after we checked out.
Absolutely Amazing
by TripAdvisor Member getcha
I cant even begin to say enough amazing things about this place. I cannot give it a higher recommendation.
The Service-The service and staff were amazing. They were soooo helpful to us whether it was booking trips, finding restaurants, travel suggestions etc. They were always smiling and were amazing with our daughter.
The Location: Incredible location. Right in Old City Bangkok, about 5 minute walk from the Chao Phraya river and the river taxi. You are within walking distance of several very cool temples and about a 10 minute water taxi ride to the Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, Emerald Buddha, Temple of Dawn...
Even at night it is nice. We didnt feel worried or unsafe at all as we walked to the restaurants by the river (In Love was its name, food was not bad...)
The Room: They dont lie. It's not fancy like a 5 star hotel is, but it is extremely clean and has alot of character. There is no TV, but really, do you go to Bangkok to watch TV?
The Breakfast: When they said vegetarian breakfast I was a little worried. But wow, the breakfast was soooo delicious.
I absolutely recommend this hotel to everyone. It was incredible in so many ways, and to top it all off...It was such a fair price. When we go back to Bangkok, we will always try to book here first!
Forum Posts
4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by LorraineW
Hi there. Can anyone recommend 4 or 5 star accomodation near to the Khao San Road please?
Lori
Re: 4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by puerto_lover
Have a look at http://www.phranakorn-nornlen.com which is well regarded and about 20 minutes walk from Khaosan Road. It is not one of your luxury hotels like the Peninsula but is nice.
Cut and paste these reviews into your browser.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293916-d633694-Reviews-Phranakorn_Nornlen_Hotel-Bangkok.html
Re: 4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by LorraineW
Thank you. It looks very quaint! Nice.
Re: 4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by gaolei
There are many other hotels in Bangkok that are not in that district that are better hotels. The Sukhumvit road area has many 4 and 5 star offerings. In Silom area, there is the Tawana and the Montien, both fine hotels. There is always the Dusit Thani for over-the-top excellence.
Re: 4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by SirHalberd
Unless you are a kid right out of school perhaps a hotel in a different area might be better. You do get more choices in the Siam or Sukhumvit Road area. Not to mention you can also use the Skytrain overhead rail service. No Skytrain in the KSR area.
Do you have a price range in mind for a hotel room? What amount per night fits your budget for a hotel. Cheaper "no star" hotels also have air, hot water, private toilet/showers and cable TV are also available.
Good luck.
Re: 4 or 5 Star Hotel Near to Khao San Road
by LorraineW
We have stayed at the Raddison and the Amari Atrium before and although very nice we wanted somewhere a bit central where we don't need transport. I have found one that i am interested in called Navalai-River Resort which looks great and had a boat stop outside too. I think it is a 10 min walk to Khao San Road.
Thanks for your help.
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